[Newsletter from Taiwan Conference]
In Matthew 5:14, it is stated, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden.”
The function of “light” is to illuminate and reveal things. Christians should also be like lights, serving as role models for the world and spreading the truth of the gospel. The goal is to help people see God and give glory to Him.
In the early days, prior to the implementation of a two-day weekend, we heard numerous testimonies of Sabbath observance. These beautiful testimonies, which have been preserved over time, now serve as the foundation of the Church.
The testimony of Sabbath observance changed as institutions changed. Many major exams in Taiwan are held on the Sabbath. “CAP”, “GSAT”, and other exams are conducted on the Sabbath throughout students’ academic history. We reluctantly accept this arrangement, but we are deeply concerned that not following these “rules” will hinder our success in this competitive world.
Assisting Aboriginal people in passing the ethnic language certification test will enable Aboriginal students to earn additional points, which can help them secure employment opportunities and receive preferential treatment for further studies. This exam is of great importance for current students.
The school has a responsibility to support and encourage students to complete their exams. However, due to Sabbath issues, the school is unable to encourage or assist students in participating in this exam. Therefore, we choose to avoid addressing the problem because we believe that change is impossible. By choosing to avoid the problem, we forget that our Heavenly Father is the true God with great power, and nothing is impossible for Him.
From a school perspective, it is our job to help students fight for their rights. I pray that God will demonstrate His power in this matter. I wrote to the exam authorities, asking them to prepare special exams for our teachers and students to take after the Sabbath. In our letter, we emphasized that the country cannot ignore the rights of Aboriginal teachers and students. If a special exam time can be arranged for us, we will do our best to assist with this difficult task. Shortly after, we received a letter from the organizers, who actually agreed to our request for a special exam and allowed TAA teachers and students to take it during a special period after the Sabbath.
However, other exam centers may not be able to accommodate us due to the specific time period required for our exams. The examination venue can only be in our school, so the national examination center must first evaluate whether our school’s computer equipment meets their requirements. Fortunately, when engineers came to inspect our computer environment at the school, they found that both our computer classroom and language classroom met the national standards for testing. This also indirectly demonstrates the high quality of our school’s equipment. The organizers initially believed that we were in a difficult situation because the school is located in a remote area and is small in size. They were worried that TAA would not be able to complete the task of setting up the examination room.
We are grateful for the Lord’s guidance along the way. In 2023, TAA would implement on-site examinations at national examination venues for the first time.
In 2024, we sent a letter to the authorities. We would like to compare this year’s exam pattern with that of previous years. During this time, the chairman of the Aboriginal Language Research and Development Foundation, which hosted the exam, and its delegation came to visit the school. They want to know why we value the Sabbath so much and why we work so hard to “change the present” for it.
I often wonder, if we don’t test God’s power based on this incident, how can we convince ourselves that we are serving a powerful and true God, and how can we show the Gentiles the true light we hold on to—looking forward to the return of Christ and observing the Sabbath? I just want to say, please God forgive us for underestimating your power due to our weaknesses.
The Pastor Du Education of Taiwan Conference encourages us and said. TAA was built in the mountainous area of mainland Taiwan. Before, we didn’t understand what we could do. Now I understand that “A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden.” We must play the role of “illumination” or “revelation” to reveal the glory of God.